As draft day gets closer and closer in the NBA, rumors keep picking up steam. For the Sacramento Kings, the most recent surrounds top pick Brayden Burries declining to work out with the team. Honestly, it's not that big of a deal as he wasn't a major draft target for the Kings, anyway.
If you follow the reports, the Kings have been incredibly busy. They're on the hunt for any additional draft picks they can get their hands on. They seem to be open to pretty much anything as long as the other team also takes Zach LaVine or Domantas Sabonis off their hands as part of the deal.
The Kings have been making the rounds to the combine and other similar events to meet with prospective draftees. Plus, they've been bringing in potential stars like Darius Acuff Jr. and Kingston Flemings for private workouts with the team. It's all part of the process.
At the same time, there's another side to it. The players also have some say in how things work out. As an example, Burries recently refused a private workout with the Kings. It's likely his way of telling the franchise he has no interest in playing for Sacramento, which is perfectly fine.
The Kings have better draft targets than Burries
There are a lot of potential reasons why Burries turned the invitation down. Sacramento is in a terrible place in their development, and he doesn't want to be part of the rebuild. It's also worth noting that he has the same representation as former King De'Aaron Fox and soon-to-be former King Zach LaVine.
To be completely honest, the reason is irrelevant. If Burries doesn't want to play in Sacramento, then the Kings are happy to oblige. The last thing they need in their rebuild process is a rookie who doesn't want to be there. For this rebuild to succeed, mustevery member of the roster to be 100% on board.
On top of that, the Kings have their eyes on players like Acuff and Flemings. While Burries is a name that has been associated with Sacramento on occasion, he's also not a priority draft pick for the team. This is such a loaded draft that the Kings have more than enough choices to work with.
If Burries doesn't want to play for the Kings, it's unlikely that Scott Perry is going to lose much sleep over it. And if his name was even on their draft board, you can bet it's crossed off now. Thanks to Burries, there's one less option the Kings have to worry about.
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